Straw Dogs, the notorious 1971 Sam Peckinpah film, has been passed uncut for video release, having been denied a release in 1999.

The film, which stars Dustin Hoffman and Susan George, was refused a video classification in 1999 because of the double rape scene which is widely regarded as one of the most disturbing images in cinema history.

This time round, distributors restored some deleted scenes, and the British board of film classification took advice from clinical psychologists who said Straw Dogs would not be harmful to viewers.

Although Straw Dogs was passed for cinemas, the BBFC tends to be more guarded about the images which can be viewed at home.

In rejecting the film three years ago it pointed out its guidelines were "stricter with scenes of sexual violence on video than film, because of their potential to be played over and over at home".

The film failed to get a certificate because the distributor refused to make the cuts which the BBFC required.

However the film which has now been given a certificate is a different version, and restores the film to its original form.

The version presented three years ago had already cut much of the most unsettling material from the second rape. This, the BBFC said, had tended to leave the audience with the impression that the woman Amy - played by George - had enjoyed the experience.

The newly passed copy restores those scenes.

The board said: "The ambiguity of the first rape is given context by the second rape, which now makes it quite clear that sexual assault is not something that Amy ultimately welcomes."

Psychologists who specialise in work with sex offenders were consulted about the film and they concluded it was not likely to encourage interest in rape or abusive behaviour.

A focus group of members of the public largely favoured passing the film uncut with 20 out of 26 people agreeing 18 was the most appropriate certificate.

The BBFC said today: "The board recognises that the rape scene in Straw Dogs has lost only part of its power over the years, despite the age of the film.

"Nonetheless, in this restored version, and in the light of the evidence of expert opinion, our own conclusion now is that the film has no significant potential to cause harm to viewers or, through their actions, to society as a whole.

"We have also taken account of the evidence of the public acceptability of the work.

"The board maintains a strict position on depictions of sexual violence that endorse or eroticise harmful behaviour, and will continue to do so. The board does not believe that the present version of Straw Dogs is in breach of that policy."

In the film Amy is raped first by an ex-boyfriend and then by another man. The psychologists said the first rape, which included a certain amount of ambiguity, was a realistic depiction of the complexities of such a situation.